


For the Love of a Family

by crownprincessziva (ziva3014), ziva3014



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: A Rewrite of ATLA, AU, F/M, Female Reader, More tags to be added, The Reader is Azula and Zuko's Sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 11,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28369479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziva3014/pseuds/crownprincessziva, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziva3014/pseuds/ziva3014
Summary: You are Azula and Zuko's older sister.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Ursa (Avatar), Azula/Sokka (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Reader, Reader & Azula, Reader & Ran & Shaw, The Gaang (Avatar) & Reader, Ursa & Reader, Zuko (Avatar) & Reader
Comments: 20
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

“Ran!” You protest as Ran licks you. You laugh. “That tickles!”

Shaw snorts, as if saying, _get along now. We have work to do._

You push Ran away and smile. “Okay, I’m ready.”

You spend the rest of your dawn with the dragons, training relentlessly. You know that you’re more powerful than Ozai, but not Azulon. You need to bide your time,

When the training is over, you create fire jets and quickly fly to the Royal Palace. You run to your room, shower, and leap into the bed as soon as the servants come in. They bow down, then change your clothes and tidy your hair.

Iroh comes in. He nods at you, and you nod back. “Iroh. Do you want something?”

“As you know, Princess Y/N, today you must present yourself to Fire Lord Azulon.”

You smile easily. You’re not nervous at all. You know you can ace it. And so can Azula. You wonder why Iroh is telling you this.

Iroh senses the unspoken question. “Truth is, I’m not worried about you or Azula, but Zuko.”

You shrug. “He’ll handle himself. And he won’t be stupid enough to perform in front of Azulon.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

You were wrong. You curl your hands into fists uneasily, watching Ozai out of the corner of your eyes. He’s frowning.

You wince as Zuko stumbles. You see Azula smirk. You stand up immediately and announce, “I’d like to perform also.”

You demonstrate a series of complicated Firebending moves and see the corners of Ozai’s mouth relax. But you see Azula frown, and so you slow down. When you finish, Ozai claps.

“She has well exceeded her peers in firebending.”

“Yes,” Azulon agrees. “You may go now.”

You smile in satisfaction. The attention is off of Zuko now. You stand up from your knees and bow to Azulon, then march out. Azula follows you, while Zuko is being comforted by Ursa. When you’re sure you’re not being spied on, you high-five Azula.

“Good job, Lala. You aced it.”

Azula glares at you. You put your hands up, laughing. “Okay, geez. I’m sorry I showed off. I had to turn their attention away from Zuko’s failure.”

She scoffs. “You should have let Zuzu be humiliated.”

You shake your head. “Azula-”

“Azula!” Ursa calls. She strides toward Azula scoops her up in a hug.

Azula freezes up in shock. You glare at Ursa. That was way too sudden. You had given a speech to Ursa about how she needed to show Azula some love too, and Ursa guiltily agreed. But this…

Ursa lets go and smiles. “That was amazing, Azula.”

Azula gets over her shock and says coldly, “of course it was, Mother.”

Luckily, you had warned Ursa that Azula would take a long time to warm up to her, so she wasn’t surprised. Azula shoulders past Ursa. You shrug and follow Azula.

“Why are you going back to the Palace?” you ask.

“To talk to Father.”

“About?”

“None of your business!” she snaps.

You stop talking but still follow her. You hear voices from the throne room and grab Azula before she enters. You clamp a hand on her mouth and listen. Azula stops struggling and listens too.

“Lu Ten is dead,” Ozai says bluntly. “I believe that Iroh cannot become Fire Lord, as he doesn’t have an heir to carry on his legacy. It’s better if I-”

Azulon explodes. “NO! YOU WILL NOT BECOME FIRE LORD!” Flames roared up, making Ozai flinch back.

Azulon calms down slightly. “It seems that you do not know the pain of losing your son. I order you to kill your own son and feel the pain yourself. You’re dismissed.”

You pale. Azula is quiet.

“Get Ursa and bring her to my room right away,” you instruct quietly.

Azula nods and runs out. You run to a corner of the wall and peek out to keep spying. Your mind races. You can’t challenge Ozai for this, as he’s just following Azulon’s orders. To question Ozai’s actions would be to question Azulon himself. And that would lead to-

“Wait.”

You freeze.

“I can see you don’t care much about Prince Zuko. Kill your favored daughter.”

You have to hold back a gasp. Ozai breathes in sharply, then controls his voice.

“As you wish, Father.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

“What’s going on?” Ursa asks.

You motion to Azula to stay. She complies, albeit confused.

“Azulon has given some orders to Ozai.” Your voice is emotionless. “To kill his favored daughter.”

Azula gasps. “What?”

“He changed his mind. He knew Ozai didn’t care for Zuko.”

Ursa stands up, a glint of determination in her eyes. “I’ll handle this.”

“Ursa-” You call. Ursa turns. You take a deep breath. “Take Zuzu with you. Ozai won’t care much.”

Ursa frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You have to kill Azulon, correct?”

“Yes…”

“Then you’ll have to leave. You’ll be banished. Take Zuko. It won’t be long until Ozai actually kills or hurts him.”

“But-”

“Azula and I can handle ourselves,” you interrupt. “Zuko can’t.”

Ursa hesitates, then hugs you and Azula. “Be safe, my daughters,” she whispers. “I love you both.”

After some hesitation, you hug her back. Azula stays stiff. Ursa lets go and gives you and Azula a last look before disappearing.

You and Azula look at each other. You lunge and hug Azula. Azula hugs back, to your surprise.

“It’s going to be alright,” you whisper fiercely. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Azula starts shaking, and you realize that she’s crying. You hug her tighter.

“He was really going to do it, wasn’t he?” Azula whispers.

“Of course.” You don’t sugarcoat it. Murder is murder. “Let it out, Lala. Don’t hide your emotions. It’s unhealthy.”

And so Azula sobs into your shoulder. You feel tears escape your eyes as well. Together, you mourn the loss of what could have been. You mourn the loss of a happy family and a normal life.

But, you know there’s hope. Azula doesn’t know, but it’s better that way. You will wait until Ozai does something rash, and challenge him to an Agni Kai and defeat him. Then the Four Nations would be at peace. You just hope that everything will go to plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Five years later

You didn’t expect that from Azula.

“Since when did you care about the Fire Nation soldiers so much?” you mutter.

Azula hears you. “I thought you wanted me to become more empathetic?” she grumbles back.

“Yes, but you didn’t have to speak out in front of everyone like that,” you groan.

In truth, though, you don’t mind that much, and both of you know that. You’re sure Azula will win.  
______________________________________________________________________________

 _Oh, nononononono. What was he doing?_ You feel rage course through your veins. He can’t harm Azula, or--yes. It was time.

“Ozai!” you shout, standing up. “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

Ozai snarls at you, but you glare back. Ever since Ursa and Zuko left, Ozai was in a foul mood, despite becoming Fire Lord.

“I challenge you to an Agni Kai!”

Ozai’s eyes widen, before he smirks. “Very well.”

You climb up to the stage and settle into a stance. Ozai casually does the same, sure of his victory. Azula glances at you with worried eyes, but when you wave at her to move, she obeys.

You spin and thrust out your hands. Fire bursts from your hands, and Ozai is surprised at the amount of fire that comes out. He retaliates with his own fire, but your fire easily overpowers his and blows him back.

Ozai stands up and blasts fire at you. You respond with a powerful fire punch that disperses it. You strike out with a roundhouse kick, sending out a wave of fire. Ozai dodges it and thrusts out his hands. You drop to the ground and kick out two waves of fire. It makes direct contact with Ozai. He crashes to the floor, breathing hard.

You smirk.

Ozai resorts to his last move: lightning.

As he bends the lightning around him, you step back into a stance as if to dodge. As Ozai charges off the lightning, you hold out your left hand, catch the lightning, and redirect it.

Ozai was struck by the redirected lightning, as he was too stunned to move away, and so he was already the loser, but you were too angry to stop. You bend lightning of your own, separating the yin and yang...and shoot.

Ozai was now a charred corpse.

There was shocked silence.

You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and open your eyes again.

“I am now the new Fire Lord.” Your voice echoes through the room. “This is my first decree: the Fire Nation is no longer at war. Send an offer of peace to the other nations.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Fire Lord Y/N?” The Fire Sage cautiously says.

You sigh. You told them that you wanted them to not fear you, but no matter how they tried, the fear was visible. Which wasn’t what you were aiming for. It was slightly satisfying, in a way, but you wanted to change the Fire Nation. The crown feels heavy on your head.

“Yes?”

“The Earth Kingdom has refused your offer of peace.”

You freeze in shock. The Fire Sage steps back slightly.

“WHAT?” You shout.

The Fire Sage flinches, and you inwardly curse yourself.

“We did all we could,” the Sage explains almost frantically. “We told them that the Fire Lord wished for peace, but they-”

You hold up a hand. “It’s fine. I’m sure it’s not your fault. But tell me clearly--the Earth King refused to stop the war?”

“It wasn’t the Earth King, but the leader of the Dai Li, a police force in Ba Sing Se.”

You fall into contemplative silence. “I see,” you say at last. “I’ll have to visit them myself. What about the Water Tribes?”

“They have agreed, albeit a little...grudgingly.”

“Hm. I suppose another war could start then.”

“That is possible,” the Sage allows.

You stand up. “Alright. Perhaps it was short-sighted of me to not go myself...prepare a ship to Ba Sing Se.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

The wind blows back the strands of your hair. Azula stands next to you, trying to hide her excitement.

“This is your first time out of the Fire Nation, isn’t it?” you muse.

“Yeah,” Azula replies.

“That explains why you’re so excited,” you snicker.

Azula smacks your arm. “How did you know?”

“Girl, I’m your older sister.”

“Hmph.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. There’s nothing wrong with being excited. I’m excited too.”

“But you have _official_ stuff to do.”

“Shut up.”

Azula runs away, laughing. You smile and lean on the ship’s rail. Then your smile drops.

You’re not sure why exactly the Earth Kingdom had refused the peace offer. Maybe they wanted to take over the world in turn. But then they would’ve taken the offer of peace to put your guard down, and then attacked.

What could they be aiming for?


	4. Chapter 4

“Fire Lord Y/N?” The man is surprised.

You incline your head. “Indeed. It has come to my attention that you’ve refused my offer of peace.”

The man looks at you. “Aren’t you a bit too young to be Fire Lord? And you’re a woman-”

“Why did you refuse?” You grit your teeth.

The man just smirks. “It is not in the Earth Kingdom’s interest.”

“I assure you, peace is everyone’s interest,” you reply, eyeing his agents. “Do you have any other reason?”

“The Earth King himself has refused. I do not have to have any other reason. Good day, _Fire Lord._ ”

He starts walking away. You grab his arm, spin him around, and yank him close so you’re nose-to-nose. You’re shorter than him, but that doesn’t matter.

“I have personally defeated Ozai, the most powerful firebender of his age. You will do well to regard me with respect,” you hiss.

The beginnings of fear overtook his face before he could hide it. You smirk. The Dai Li steps up, but the man waves them off.

“Very well. I will hear what you have to say about this offer of peace.”

“I want to speak with the Earth King, if he was the one to refuse,” you reply, studying his reaction.

He keeps his face blank. “The Earth King is quite busy right now.”

“I can wait.”

A flash of annoyance. “Y/N-”

“It’s _Fire Lord_ Y/N to you.”

“Fire Lord Y/N,” he sneers. “The Earth King doesn’t wish to see you.”

You frown. “Well, too bad.”

The man steps back and signals to his agents. But you’re ready. You use fire jets and launch yourself off the ground first. Then you punch out a series of fire swipes and swirls. Most of the Dai Li agents are knocked out, despite creating earth shields.

You march up to the man, seething. “What’s your name?”

“Long Feng,” he says, stepping back.

“Well, _Long Feng,_ I’ll be taking over your position now.”

“But-”

“Bye!”

Long Feng glares but backs off.

You turn to the groaning Dai Li agents with a menacing glare. “Listen up, cupcakes (A/N: COACH HEDGE! PERCY JACKSON)! I am your new leader now. Take me to the Earth King.”


	5. Chapter 5

The Earth King looks up as you storm in.

“Who are you?” he asks, on guard.

You growl, your patience rapidly thinning. “I am the Fire Lord. Now tell me. Did you decline my offer of peace?”

“Your offer of peace?” he frowns. “What do you mean?”

You stare at him. You had been suspecting that he was kept from hearing news around the world, but you didn’t think it would be this bad. “Y’know, the offer of peace to end the war that has been raging for a hundred years?”

The Earth King is stunned into silence. You shake your head pitifully.

“I’m surprised everyone kept that from you. I don’t suppose you know about the poverty in the Earth Kingdom? No, of course not,” you mumble.

“I do know about that,” the Earth King replies, offended.

You raise an eyebrow. “And you’re not doing anything about it?”

“I don’t see why or how.”

You sigh. “Very well. I propose you end this monarchy, since it’s clearly not working out. Or better yet, you can let me take over. I am dealing with the problem of poverty and hunger in my own land as well. You can let me help. And accept my offer of peace.”

The King blinks. “I-”

“It’ll be for your own advantage as well as mine,” you interrupt. “Consider that before answering.”

The King thinks for a moment, then nods. “I accept.”

You beam. “Awesome! Okay, I’ll take over.”

“What?”

“You agreed. I’ll take over.”

“I-”

“Thank you for your service.”

“This is my bloodline. You can’t take over!”

“Well, clearly, you’re not doing your job well. Don’t worry. The Earth Kingdom is in good hands. I’ll take care of it. Plus, you won’t be punished or anything. You’ll be free to live your own life now. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“Well-”

“This is over. I may see you again later, who knows.” You motion to the Dai Li, and they take the Earth King away.

“You’ll pay for this!” he yells.

You look at him coldly. “You are the one who neglected your citizens.” You sit down at the throne, crossing your legs and joining your hands together. “There will be a new age for both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. I will see to it.”


	6. Chapter 6

Hakoda looked up as one of the councilmen entered his tent, holding a scroll and frowning.

“Is something the matter?” Hakoda questioned.

“It seems...as though the Fire Lord Y/N has taken over the Earth Kingdom without the Earth King’s consent.”

Silence. Then, “I see. Does this mean war, then?”

“We can see it as such. The Fire Lord may make a move on us. However, the Earth King warns us that he was told by his advisor that she is ridiculously powerful. We must be cautious.”

“Very well, then. Gather the troops again. Tell them to stay on guard at all times.”

“Understood.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

Azula stares at you. “You...want me to become the Earth Queen?”

You smirk. “You’re obviously power-hungry. You’re also capable enough. Besides, I don’t have much time to rule both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom at once. I’ll help you out, of course. If you need it. The goal is to help the citizens. Keep that in mind.”

“Thanks.” Azula smiles. “I won’t let you down.”

You peck the top of her head. “I know, Lala.”

“Gross! I’m out!” Azula groans.

“Review the Earth Kingdom’s history and act accordingly!” You call, laughing.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

Sokka and Katara were out fishing. Katara accidentally splashed Sokka with a wave of water.

“Hey!”

“Sorry!”

“Why is it that every time you try out your waterbending, I’m the one who gets soaked? This is why girls are useless!”

“Sokka...you are the most immature, sexist...ARGH! I’m ashamed to be related to you!! Ever since Mom died, I’m the one who has to wash, cook, and take care of the household! Do you have any idea how smelly your socks and underwear is?”

Unbeknownst to her, she was sending waves of water against an iceberg, slowly cracking it apart.

“Uh...K-Katara?” Sokka tried, only to be interrupted.

“No! I want you to listen! Girls can be just as strong as boys, as long as you give us the chance! But because you men insist on trapping us in the status quo, we’re nothing more than-”

The iceberg cracked loudly.

“Servants?” Katara turned around, surprised.

“Katara!” Sokka lunged, trying to help her.

Katara smacked him away. “I can handle this!”

She lifted up her hand, and the ice shrapnels were deflected, passing the two completely.

They both noticed a figure of a boy slowly standing up, glowing eyes and arrows on his hands.

“Stay back!” Sokka shouted, pointing his boomerang at the silhouette.

The boy didn’t listen. As he walked towards them, Katara and Sokka braced themselves. Then the figure collapsed.

Thinking that there was no way that the boy could be an enemy, Katara ran up to him, ignoring Sokka’s calls to stop.

Katara caught the boy before he hit the ground. She realized that he was bald, and had an arrow on his head as well.

The boy slowly opened his eyes. “Can I...ask you something?” he asked when he noticed them.

“Yes, what is it?” Katara asked softly.

“Do you want to play penguin sledding with me?” The boy beamed.

“Uh-okay, sure,” Katara replied, bewildered.

“No way! He’s obviously the enemy!” Sokka interjected, pulling Katara behind him.

“Oh, sure, Sokka. He’s totally a brutal psychopath. Just look at his eyes. So terrifying,” Katara snorted.

Aang grinned.

Sokka sighed. “Well, we never know. That’s probably the reason why they sent him, because he looks so innocent!”

“They?” Aang repeated.

“The Fire Nation, duh! Have you been living under a rock...oh.”

“In an iceberg, yes,” Aang said.

“Right. Sorry.”

“I just want to go penguin sledding, that’s all,” Aang promised. “Nothing fishy.”

“Fine. But nothing else!”

“Hey, do you know the Avatar?” Katara asked suddenly.

“Uhh, no I don’t. Sorry,” Aang mumbled.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Katara pretended to be disappointed, studying his reaction. “He’s been gone for a hundred years. People are thinking he’s dead.”

Aang twitched slightly. Katara knew that he either knew the Avatar, or he is the Avatar himself.

“And now there’s a war going on. The Avatar is our only hope.”

Aang sighed slightly. “Yeah.”

“We need him.”

“...”

“Aang? You okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s go penguin sledding.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight cursing.

Weeks have passed, and the job of being Fire Lord was getting harder. You’re attempting to listen to the people, but it’s exhausting as they file in complaint after complaint. One even complained about a loud neighbor.

...Okay? What were you supposed to do?

“Y/N!”

You’re interrupted from your thoughts as Azula enters the room, holding a paper and frowning.

“Yes, Lala? What is it?” You smile, but grow worried as Azula doesn’t say anything. “What’s going on?”

Without a word, Azula hands the paper to you. You read it slowly, eyes narrowing.

“And you’re certain this is true?” You ask lowly.

Azula shoots you a look. “I wouldn’t give this to you if I knew it was fake.”

“I see.” You set the paper down. “Do you want to come with me to deal with this?”

“Sure.”

The complaints can wait. This was much more important.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

You board a ship, waving at the crazed people shouting praises.

As you had listened to the citizens, you’re becoming more and more popular. You smile.

Even though you have to deal with ridiculous complaints, seeing your people happy makes everything worth it.

The ship sets sail. Azula looks anxious.

“It’ll be okay,” you soothe. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

“I hope so. But…” Azula hesitates.

“But?”

“I just have a bad feeling.”

You sigh. “To be honest, so do I. It’s like...something’s going to happen soon.”

“Yeah. I…”

“We’re probably just being paranoid like Zuzu,” you chuckle.

Zuzu. The name hung in the air, the elephant in the room. Or deck.

You never talk about Zuzu or Ursa or Iroh, and Azula never asks if they were alright.

But now, after some uncomfortable silence, Azula asks, “Aren’t you going to invite them into the Fire Nation again?”

You shrug. “Naw. I don’t think they want to be back here, y’know?”

Actually, you had sent out that they were welcome to the Palace, but they hadn’t come back. Not wanting Azula to be hurt, you told her a half-truth.

Azula nods, but you suspect that she already knows. Your heart pangs.

“Come on, let’s play Pai Sho.” You try to distract her.

After some rounds, ending with a tie, the island comes into view. You stand up, your legs aching slightly from sitting too long. Azula does the same, stretching.

You spot the earthbenders trudging along, their heads down, eyes dim. You grimace.

“I’m going to kill them for this…” you mutter.

Azula glances at you, worried.

The ship touches the island’s shore. Some earthbenders look up, but immediately put their heads down again.

You stomp out of the ship into the island. “What is the meaning of this?” You yell.

The Fire Nation soldiers look up, surprised. When they see who you were, they kneel down.

You growl impatiently and gesture at them to get up. “Why is there a prison for earthbenders?”

The soldiers get up, glancing at each other.

“Answer me!”

“Fire Lord Y/N,” one, presumably the captain, speaks up. “We think they may be a threat to the Fire Nation and your throne-”

“At this point, even if we do let them go, they’re too beaten down to actually fight! And we shouldn’t care about that anymore! The Fire Nation has made peace with the other Nations. Keeping this prison active is a declaration of war!”

The soldiers glance at each other again. “But...Fire Lord...didn’t you take over the Earth Kingdom?” The captain asks.

You frown. “It wasn’t meant as a declaration of war. My intentions were moral. There was too much poverty in the kingdom, and the king wasn’t doing anything. I wanted to assure that the Earth Kingdom would recover, then hand it off to a capable Earth Kingdom citizen.”

There was silence. You roll your eyes. “Let them go immediately. And help them return to their homes.”

“Yes, Fire Lord,” they say in unison.

The prisons were flung open. The captain approaches you nervously.

“Ah...Fire Lord Y/N…”

“You’re forgiven,” you say without looking at him. “Just don’t do it again.”

You suddenly spot a girl. She’s looking at you as well, a slight distaste in her eyes. You raise an eyebrow, and she looks away.

“Thank you, Fire Lord,” the captain says, sounding relieved.

You wave him away and walk towards the ship, but pause and look for the girl again. She’s with another boy, probably her brother, and some other boy whose head was covered. Your eyes narrow. Highly suspicious.

You walk over to them crisply.

“She’s coming!” The brother hisses.

The girl turns around, and you stop and stick out your hand for a handshake. “Y/N. And you are?...”

“...Katara,” she says reluctantly, shaking your hand.

“Nice to meet you, Katara. What brings you here?” you ask, giving her a once-over. “You seem to be from one of the Water Tribes.”

She glances at her companions. You sigh. “There’s no need to be suspicious. It’s not like I’ll throw you in prison.”

So she tells you that she came here to save an earthbender, because it was her fault that he was caught in the first place.

You smile. “You’re a brave girl. I admire that.”

“I...thank you,” she says, taken aback.

“And these two boys are?...” you ask, turning to them.

“This is Sokka and Aang,” Katara says nervously.

Just then, Azula ran up. “Y/N! What are you doing?”

“Say hello, Azula,” you say, gesturing at the three.

“Hi. Let’s go!”

You see Sokka seem star-struck. You smirk. “This is Katara and Aang. And this is Sokka,” you say, purposefully lingering on Sokka.

Azula glances at him, then turns back to you. “Great. Can we go now? I feel like-”

You suddenly get closer to Aang, narrowing your eyes. “Wait. You...you’re not an earthbender, waterbender, or a firebender. Who...are you, exactly?”

Aang wilts under your penetrating gaze. “Uh...I’m Aang, an earthbender.”

“Right. Demonstrate your earthbending for me.”

Gulping, Aang holds out his hand and makes a boulder lift into the air.

You sigh. “You’re an airbender.”

“What? No, I just-”

“I’m not stupid,” you cut him off. “I saw and felt the wind.”

Azula is silent.

“And if you’re an airbender...there’s a high chance you’re the Avatar.”

“...”

“Are you?”

“...I am,” he confirmed.

You sigh again and turn away. “Board the ship with me. Let’s talk.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

“So.”

“...”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

And so they proceed to tell you everything, from finding Aang in the iceberg to finding out about and infiltrating the prison.

You drop your head into your hands. “I see. Well, Avatar Aang, there’s no need to hurry right now. No war is happening.”

“What?” Katara stands up, shocked.

You look up slowly. “The war is over. I ended it.”

“But…”

“No one told you?” you guess.

“No,” Sokka confirms, equally surprised.

“Hm. Well, the war is over. There is no need to hate each other anymore, yes?”

“...Yes,” Katara agrees.

You put out your hand again. “You and I have both been scarred by the war. But let’s mend each other. Be family.”

Katara shakes your hand with more warmth. “Of course. Thank you, Y/N.”

“My pleasure.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

“What’s bothering you?” Azula questions.

You smile wryly. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

“Girl, I’m your sister,” Azula mocks.

You laugh. “You got me there.”

“What’s the matter?” she asks again. “You can’t change the topic.”

You sigh. “It’s just...the Avatar.”

Azula nods. “Yeah, I thought so.”

“When we were with Ozai, being abused, when we were suffering, how many times did we wish the Avatar could save us? We wondered where he was, but we had to take matters into our own hands and solve our problems. And when everything is over, when we don’t need his help anymore, we find him. All this time, when we were being scarred, burnt, trained relentlessly, the Avatar has been stuck in a fucking iceberg.”

Azula looks at you silently until you’re done ranting. She hesitatingly places a hand on your arm.

You look up, surprised. She shrugs. “Even the strongest people have to be comforted at times.”

You smile. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“I’m sure it’ll turn out okay,” Azula assures you.

You stand up, shaking your head. “I’m pathetic. Yeah, you’re right. Things happen for a reason.”


	8. Chapter 8

You watch as the earthbenders find their home and recover their hope as they embrace their family. You smile, along with Katara, Aang, Sokka, and even Azula.

“That’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” you whisper.

“Yeah...but what are we doing now?” Katara asks.

You shrug. “We’ll solve problems together, if there’s more.”

Katara frowns. “But...can we go back to our family?”

You smack your forehead. “Oh, yes, of course. I forgot.”

“I dunno, Katara, I kinda want to stay.” Sokka fidgets.

Katara scowls at him. “Gran will be worried! We have to go!”

Sokka visibly deflates. “Okay, okay…”

Azula looks amused. “I’m sure you’re welcome to visit anytime you want,” she offers.

You smirk at her but sober up when she glares at you. “Yes,” you agree. “We’ll look forward to your visits.”

“Thanks,” Sokka grins.

“What about me?” Aang asks quietly.

You study him quietly. You’re still a bit angry, but you’re starting to soften, seeing as he was only a boy. “You can go wherever you want,” you say.

Aang nods and looks down. “Hey, um...I’m sorry for...not being there to save the world.”

And with that, your heart melts. Oh, it was hard to stay angry at this boy. What was this? “No, no, it’s fine. I’m sure you’ve gone through some hard stuff too. There’s no grudges here, right?”

Aang manages a smile. “Yeah. Thanks.”  
____________________________________________________________________________

“See you soon!” Sokka calls.

You chuckle as Azula raises an eyebrow.

“I’m starting to regret offering that...” she mutters.

“No, you don’t,” you snicker.

You start running as she chases you. “Okay, I’m sorry!” you yelp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late update and the short chapter! :(
> 
> Next chapter will probably be longer, so yay for that, I guess.


	9. Chapter 9

King Kuei stepped off onto the land. Hakoda shook his hand.

“King Kuei. I offer you my condolences on losing your kingdom,” he said.

“Thank you, but I’m sure it’ll be fine now that we’ve teamed up,” Kuei responded.

“Perhaps. What are you planning to do?” Hakoda asked.

“We’ll have to reclaim the Earth Kingdom. We’ll be subtle and not use force. The Fire Nation is extremely powerful, even without the Fire Lord.”

“Tell me more about the Fire Lord.”

“She claimed to have defeated the former Fire Lord Ozai, according to my advisor. My advisor also informed me that she disposed of his elite earthbending agents like they were nothing.”

Hakoda frowned. “I see. Was the new Fire Lord the daughter of Ozai?”

“That is likely.”

Hakoda made a disgusted noise. “They have no value of family.”

“Indeed.”

“Well. How do you suppose we defeat this Fire Lord?”

“Both force and intelligence is necessary. The Fire Lord has probably not faced any waterbenders. We may have to team up with the Northern Water Tribe to get more waterbenders.”

“Then we should send a message.”

“Yes.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Y/N!” Azula yells frantically.

Your head snaps up. “What?”

“The Fire Navy intercepted a message from the Southern Water Tribe to the Northern Water Tribe.”

You take the paper and read it, then slam it down on the table, growling. “This is ridiculous!”

“What do we do?”

You groan, putting your head on the desk. “I’ll have to talk to them, I guess. That damn Earth King…”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Azula interjects. “They might take it as an attack if you approach them.”

“...”

“Y/N?” Azula asks softly.

You groan in response.

“What are we going to do?”

You sit up dejectedly. “I’ll have to go talk to them. If I don’t, a war is guaranteed to happen. But if I go, there’s a chance they’ll listen to me. Then a war will be stopped. It’s all or nothing. Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note: in chapter two, I changed the time from two years to five years later. So Azula, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and the rest are their ages in the show, not younger.
> 
> ...Did you understand me?
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got...dark. Some violence.

“Fire Lord Y/N,” Hakoda greets.

You nod back, aware of his stiff posture. “Please rest assured that I won’t harm you, Chief Hakoda.”

Hakoda blinks in surprise. “You’re aware of my name?”

You hold up the letter. Hakoda breathes in sharply.

“Relax. I’m only here to clear up some unpleasant suspicions. I have only taken over Ba Sing Se temporarily. I will give it to some capable Earth Kingdom citizen.”

Hakoda’s eyes narrow. “Why did you take control of it in the first place?”

“There was a crisis in the kingdom. I gave the title of Earth Queen to my sister, Azula. She’s taking care of the poverty and other issues.”

Azula smiles and bows.

Hakoda’s eyes soften slightly. “So…”

“I took over the Earth Kingdom for their benefit. I promise to hand it back to the appropriate person when the problems are cleared.”

Hakoda nods, reassured. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

You smile, relieved. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad this has been resolved peacefully.”

He looks surprised, but smiles back. “As am I.”

“Y/N!” An enraged voice shouts.

You turn around and see the former Earth King. “Good day.”

He ignores your greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“I was simply trying to prevent another war. You seem all too greedy for one.”

“You took my throne away against my wishes!”

You purse your lips. “We already went through this.”

“You’re just like your ascendants! Greedy for power and taking over countries!”

“You are the one greedy for power. Unlike my ascendants, I took over peacefully, yes? And like I informed you and Chief Hakoda, I did it for the citizens’ benefits.”

“You…” The former Earth King struggles to say something.

You wait, then shrug. “It seems like you don’t have anything else to say. Well, I’ll be leaving n-”

A huge explosion rocked the ground. You blink and slowly turn...to see one of your ship’s cannon smoking.

“What…” You trail off as the Earth King lunges toward you.

You dodge, still bewildered. “What’s going on?” You scream at the ship.

A head rises up, just visible. Immediately, you realize that one of your soldiers had either set a cannon off on accident...or on purpose.

Cursing loudly, you turn toward Hakoda, only to be knocked down by a Water Tribe warrior. Immediately, Azula yanks him off, throwing him away. You stand up, sending a look of both gratitude and worry at her.

Azula rolls her eyes. “I did what I had to do.”

The camp was in chaos. Some warriors were running towards the ships, and some were heading towards you and Azula.

“Please! It was an accident!” You shout at Hakoda, but he doesn’t listen this time.

He charges at you, and you dodge his blows. Despite his relatively old age, he’s an experienced fighter.

You have no choice but to retreat slowly, noticing some ships already fleeing. You scowl.

As you’re momentarily distracted, Hakoda takes the advantage to stab at your stomach. You dodge at the last moment, but he manages to catch your side, slicing through your armor and cutting your skin deeply. You gasp and stumble back.

Memories start flashing through your mind.

_”You are weak!” Ozai hissed._

_You gritted your teeth, vision fogging with pain. You had let your guard down, and Ozai had burned your arm severely._

_”A daughter of mine cannot be weak. You are the heir to the throne! I will not allow you to be weak!”_

_Ozai roughly grabbed your burnt arm and hoisted you up. You cried out in pain and received a slap on the face for it._

_”Become strong!”_

You become numb. “If I...become strong...then…”

You burst into flames. You notice that your fire is purple, but you don’t pay attention to it, instead focusing on the Ozai before you.

“Will you accept me?” you hiss, striking out.

Ozai screams as your fire burns his clothes, landing on flesh. You watch, feeling nothing.

“This...this is what you wanted, correct?” You ask cooly. “I’m giving it to you. Be grateful.”

“Y/N!” A voice screams.

You latch on to the voice. That...it sounds like…

_Azula._

_My dear, sweet Azula…_

Your fire turns blue, then white, then red. Then disappears.

“Azula?...” You murmur.

There. Reaching to you hesitantly, fear on her face. Fear?...Who made her afraid?

Rage climbs in you again until you realize. _Me. Me? Her older sister...What kind of sister am I?_

“Azula…” You reach out and grab her hand. “I’m...I’m sorry…”

Her face relaxes, relieved. She pulls you into her embrace. You hug back tightly.

“It...it won’t happen again...I’m sorry...I don’t know what came over me…”

Azula hugs you tighter. “It’s fine. It’s fine.”

You let go and stand up. You see Hakoda, burnt severely. You walk over to him. Hakoda tries to crawl away, but you gently take his arm and heal his burns.

You turn and walk away.


	11. Chapter 11

“They declared war.”

You sigh. “Of course they did.”

“What are we going to do now?” Azula asks.

You look up wearily. “I don’t know. I don’t want to fight, but…”

“I don’t think you have a choice.”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll gather soldiers…”  
______________________________________________________________________________

Sokka, Katara, and Aang stepped into the Southern Water Tribe.

They all had wide smiles on their faces.

“Gran Gran!” Katara shouted.

Kanna ran towards them, arms spread out. “Sokka! Katara! What happened? Why are you so early?”

Sokka smiled brightly. “There’s been a misunderstanding. The Fire Nation declared a truce, and the Hundred-Years War isn’t going on anymore!”

Kanna paused. “And...who told you this?”

“The Fire Lord herself!” Katara said. “She was actually super nice to us.”

Kanna was silent, processing the information. “Sokka, Katara...I’m surprised you found out, and we were so happy when we found out too, but...we’re at war again.”

“What?” Sokka and Katara shouted.

“It seems that the Fire Lord attacked your father and the Earth King while talking about truce.”

“...” Sokka and Katara were stunned into silence.

Aang deflated. “I really thought...that she was good…”

“A leopard-lion cannot change its spots.” Kanna shook her head.

“How-how do you know, then?” Sokka asked.

“We got a letter from your father.”

“He’s okay, right?” Sokka questioned, worried.

“Yes...he said that the Fire Lord healed him...”

“See, she’s good!” Aang cried.

“...After she burned him severely,” Kanna finished.

“Why...why would she do that?” To say Katara was confused would be an understatement.

Kanna hesitated. “Your father...said she didn’t seem to be herself.”

“What does he mean?” Sokka asked softly.

“I’m not sure-”

“I know,” Katara spoke up. “She told me that both of us had been scarred by the war. Something probably happened to her, and maybe..she’s...not…”

“Mentally stable?” 

“That makes sense,” Aang nodded. “I overheard her talking to Azula-”

“Azula?”

“Her sister,” Sokka responded, smiling slightly.

“-And apparently they were abused by Ozai,” Aang continued.

“That’s…horrible,” Katara said softly.

“What do we do?” Aang asked.

Katara thought for a moment, then got a determined spark in her eyes. “We’ll stop this war. We’ll show everyone that the Fire Lord isn’t evil, and talk some sense into them.”

“I’m not sure that will work…” Sokka muttered.

“You’ll see Azula again,” Katara muttered back.

“Alright! Let’s do it!” Sokka cheered.

Katara rolled her eyes.

“Are you sure?” Aang asked.

Katara looked at him. “Bringing peace into the world is your job, right?”

Aang winced. “I...I haven’t been doing a great job. I failed to help Y/N and Azula…”

Katara grabbed his hands gently. “That isn’t your fault,” Katara assured him. “You’re trying to make up for your mistakes now, right? That’s admirable.”

Aang blushed. “Thanks, Katara.”

Katara smiled back. “The Avatar is back in business.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Do leopard-lions exist in Avatar?
> 
> Idk.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and I'm so sorry for the late update! :(


	12. Chapter 12

“Fire Lord Y/N,” the Fire Sage calls.

You look up from the dreaded paperwork, welcoming the distraction. “Yes?”

Thankfully, the sages have ceased to fear you. There was respect, but no fear.

“There are...visitors.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Their names?”

“Sokka, Katara, and Aang.”

You smile. “Let them in. And call Azula too.”

“Yes, Fire Lord.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Y/N?” Katara calls.

You wave, ignoring the Fire Sage’s indignant, “Address her as the Fire Lord!”

“You may call me by my name too, Fire Sage Bahn,” you chuckle.

“I...yes…Y/N…”

“Katara, Sokka, Aang. It’s been a while,” you say. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”

Sokka grins. “Well, I came to see-”

“Sokka?” Azula comes up.

“Azula!” Sokka starts running towards her, but you stop him with a finger on his chest.

“What are you doing?” you ask dangerously.

“Uh…”

“Handshake. Nothing else.”

“Okay…”

“Why are you here?” you repeat.

“We came to help you,” Katara says.

You blink. “I-what? Why?”

“Because we know the real you,” Aang claims. “We know you’re not evil, and you’re not like your ancestors.”

You smile tightly. “Thank you for that, Aang. But…”

“We’re just going to talk,” Katara explains. “Don’t declare war just yet.”

“Talk?”

“Yes. We’ll try to explain what really happened-”

“How do you know what really happened?” You cut her off.

“Well, we inferred that you had a hard past, and Aang told us that you were abused by…”

“How do you know that?” you ask, then your eyes widen. “Oh...you listened to everything?”

Aang nods.

A wave of guilt washes over you. “I...Aang…”

“No. It’s fine. I’m sorry,” Aang says.

“No, Aang. It’s not your fault...I was just really bitter. I’m sorry I said all those things…”

“What?” Katara asks, confused.

“Nothing,” you sigh. “Anyways, I appreciate your offer, but-”

You’re cut off by a hug from Katara. Your wide eyes probably beat Ty Lee’s.

“We want to help. And we will, no matter what you say,” Katara says softly.

You’re frozen, but slowly melt into her hug. “Thank you,” you whisper.

“I told you, we want to do this. There’s no need to thank us.”

“Even so…”

Azula clears her throat. “Sorry to break this moment, but...how are you going to talk to the others, exactly?”

Katara releases you, and you feel strangely empty, but you right yourself.

“You’ll explain what happened.”

“Right,” you drawl. “And they’ll believe me because?...”

“We’ll be there. Hakoda is our dad, so he’ll listen.”

“Hakoda is your…” you gape.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, Agni. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. We need to get this done.”

You nod, a spark of hope bursting in you again. You welcome it, smiling. “Let’s go.”


	13. Chapter 13

As you near the destination, you notice Sokka and Katara looking more and more nervous. You raise an eyebrow at them, but they wave it off.

Finally, Azula breaks the silence. “Alright. Spill. You’re nervous about meeting your father, huh? Why is that?”

Sokka blinks. “Uh, yeah, actually.”

You give a proud big sister smile.

“It’s just...it’s been a really long time, and I don’t know if he’ll be happy to see me or…”

“Right now, it’s basically the beginning of a war. If he’s not happy to see you, that only means he’s worried for you,” Azula comforts.

Sokka nods slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Katara is silent, so Aang turns to her. “What about you? Do you have something different from Sokka’s worries?”

Katara looks down. “I...I’m just kind of upset at him. I understand why he left us, but…”

“He was worried for your safety,” Aang assures. “He does love you.”

“Yeah.” Katara takes a deep breath and smiles at him. “I know. Thanks, Aang.”

“And you, Y/N, you have a worry as well, yes? Are you afraid this isn’t going to work?” Sokka asks.

You blink. “Oh. Yeah, actually.”

“I’m seeing a parallel,” Azula snickers.

You cut your eyes at her. “Anyways, I always worry, nothing new.”

“Took the words out of my mouth,” Azula sighs.

“Azula,” you warn.

“Fine.”

“We’re here,” Katara says pensively.

You take off your crown. “Honestly, it’s so heavy. I hate this outfit,” you grumble.

Azula rolls her eyes. “That’s not a way the Fire Lord should speak.”

You sigh. “Yeah, whatever.”  
__________________________________________________________________________

Hakoda looks at you warily, but brightens up considerably when he sees Sokka and Katara.

You gesture to them, allowing them to rush at Hakoda and hug him.

“Dad!” Sokka sobs.

“Sokka, my warrior,” Hakoda smiles. “And my angel, Katara...I missed you both so much.”

You watch and get a bittersweet feeling. You shake it away.

When they’re done hugging, you step up and kneel.

There were exclamations of shock from your soldiers and the Water Tribe warriors.

“I humbly beg for your forgiveness, Chief Hakoda,” you say quietly. “That cannon before was set off without my permission. You can be sure I punished the man by banishing him from the Fire Nation. But I can’t use any excuse for when I attacked you. I ask that I get a chance of redeeming myself, and I swear to Agni that it won’t happen again-”

Hakoda interrupts you, gently grabbing your arms and lifting you up. You blink at him.

“So young,” he mutters.

You blink again. “Uh...thanks?”

Azula snorts.

“Sokka and Katara have sent a letter to me, explaining everything. If anything, I apologize for doubting you. It was because of prejudice that I assumed you were evil and had an ulterior motive. I was nearly looking for an excuse to attack you-”

“It wasn’t prejudice,” you interrupt. “After all, my ancestors have done horrible things…”

“I should have seen you as different. I did, in fact, but I was blinded by mistrust.”

“Well, you weren’t completely wrong…” you mutter.

“I see you clearly now. I see a human, hurt beyond words, yet bearing it all.”

You feel tears gather in your eyes but push it down. “Thank you, Chief Hakoda.”

“Please, refer to me as Hakoda,” Hakoda smiles. “I formally declare the war void.”

You feel relief like nothing you’ve ever felt before. “Thank you, Hakoda,” you say, choking up.

“Let us welcome the new era,” Hakoda says.

You nod. “And let no grudges or judgement fall between us.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a very short chapter here...

Long Feng stared at the captain of the Dai Li. “What did you say?”

“Chief Hakoda and Fire Lord Y/N have decided to stop the war.”

“Why?” he seethed.

“It seems they did it with the help of Chief Hakoda’s children, and the Avatar.”

Long Feng cursed. “So our plan is ruined then…” Then he smirked. “We still have some leverage, though, don’t we?”

The captain smiled. “Indeed.”

“Track down the Fire Lord. Lure her over with the Fire Nation brats.”

“Of course, sir.”

The captain retreated. Long Feng looked out into the distance, smiling coldly.

“You may have thwarted me once, Fire Lord Y/N. But now I have the upper hand.”


	15. Chapter 15

“You seem happy,” Azula notes.

You raise an eyebrow. “What’s there not to be happy about? Besides, you seem to be happier than me…”

“Mm.” Azula looks away.

“Did something really special happen?” You tease. “Don’t tell me it’s about Sokka.”

“No, no,” Azula shakes her head vehemently, but you can tell she’s lying.

“Sure,” you drawl. “I saw you two hugging. I nearly burned his ponytail, but I refrained for you.”

Azula rolls her eyes. “Thanks?”

“My protective-older-sister side is coming out,” you sigh. “And it’s all your fault.”

“Right.”

You had said your farewells to Hakoda, Sokka, Katara, and Aang, and right now you were arriving in the Fire Nation.

You lazily look outside and see people gathered, most of them having worried looks on their faces. You’ve told the people that you were going to negotiate with the Water Tribes to stop the war. You’re glad that you have good news.

You get out of the ship and announce, “the war has been stopped!”

Cheers burst out from the crowds, and they start celebrating.

Everyone had suffered from the war, and no one wanted to go through it again. And they didn’t have to.

You step out into the crowd, and hundreds of people come to shake your hand. You smile and shake all of them, wishing them a prosperous life.

Then something catches your eye. You whip your head in that direction, where there was a flash of bright red. The bright red that only Fire Nation royals wore. The other people had to wear a duller red. You’d tried to change that, but the people insisted.

You see another flash of bright red, a young boy wearing it. You swallow.

Slowly, as if in a trance, you follow them. Still shaking hands here and there, but then you leave the crowd, and see that the first flash of red was a woman-you aren’t sure if you’re making sense, but your thoughts are short circuiting-and they’re heading towards a shady place.

Azula, you realize, is following you, having a tight expression on her face. You rest a hand on her shoulder to comfort her but can do no more.

You enter the place but freeze.

Long Feng was there, with his men, who had knives at the necks of the bright-red-dressed mother and son.

Ursa and Zuko.

“Nice of you to join us. And Princess Azula as well!”

“What is the meaning of this? Let them go immediately!” you shout.

“Don’t make noise,” Long Feng snaps. “Your mother and brother’s lives are in my hands.”

“I’m sorry,” Ursa whispers. “We were heading to join you, but they captured us.”

Azula has a look of relief, before morphing into guilt and worry.

“Why are you doing this?” you demand.

Long Feng clears his throat. You mentally roll your eyes. “This is gonna be long, isn’t it?”

Long Feng scowls at you but begins. “We refused your offer of peace to make you visit us and see the poverty in the Earth Kingdom. I knew, with your naive mind, you’ll try to take over and help them. But the others have seen that as a treacherous act. Then, it was a simple matter to make my men get into your ranks and fire the cannon.”

You look at him in shock. “What?”

Long Feng sneers. “Yes. That was our plan the entire time. To taint the Fire Nation’s reputation even more, and bring you to ruin. Everyone would have honored us! And we would have taken over the world in that way! But those brats ruined everything.”

Your eyes narrow.

“But we still have a chance.” Long Feng grins. “Declare war again. Or we’ll kill your mother and brother.”

“You...!”

Long Feng laughs. “Feel the helplessness, Y/N. You can’t do anything. The knife is closer to them than you.”

“Y/N! Refuse!” Ursa shouts.

“Don’t say that!” you snap. “That could make you die!”

“Make up your mind quickly,” Long Feng says lazily.

“How are you so confident that you’ll beat us?” you hiss.

“We have technology that far exceeds even yours. We’ve been working on it for years. One of my soldiers has discovered metalbending. It’s quite useful to make more weapons and such.”

“Then just attack us directly!” you growl. “Don’t make me declare war again!”

“But that would taint _our_ reputation, no? I’m aiming to make ourselves heroes of the century. Long Feng has defeated the vile Fire Lord!” Long Feng gets a faraway look in his eye.

“You’re disgusting,” you spit.

Long Feng smiles. “Make up your mind. Do you refuse?”

You grit your teeth and draw out, painfully, “I accept.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, this is really short. I need to brainstorm ideas on how to continue this story, so...yeah. Just...read this for now lol

You slowly walk toward Hakoda.

Hakoda notices your stricken look and asks, “is something wrong?”

“Chief Hakoda. I’m afraid I’ll refuse your offer of peace.”

Hakoda blinks in shock. “Pardon?”

“I...I declare war again.”

“What?” Katara marches up to you. “Y/N, everything’s solved now! Why would you…?”

_”And if you tell anyone about this, obviously, we’ll kill Ursa and Zuko,” Long Feng had said matter-of-factly. “And we’ll be watching.”_

You grip your tattered robes tightly. “It doesn’t matter. We’re at war again.” You swallow thickly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. But...it’s over now.”

You turn and walk away once again.


	17. Chapter 17

“Y/N?” Azula says softly.

You look up and smile weakly. “Lala.”

“I got this,” Azula says with a determined look.

You raise an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I’m going to free Mom and Zuzu.”

“Azula!...”

“What?”

“It’s way too dangerous! Are you crazy?”

“Well, yeah.”

“No! They could just kill them...wait…”

“So you realized too, huh? They wouldn’t. They would just threaten them, but to use them as leverage against you, they would definitely at least hesitate to kill them. By the time they decide to, I would’ve knocked them out.”

“Still…”

“There’s still a risk, I know. But I’m willing to take it. And although I realize I’m being...psychopathic...when I say this, but if they do kill them, we’ll be able to end the war and explain everything to Hakoda and the rest.”

“So you’re saying it could be a good thing?”

“Yeah. Of course, I would prefer if they were alive-”

“Don’t try to act aloof. I know you care about them.” You smirk.

“Whatever.”

“Alright. Do it. Be careful, Lala.”

“I will.”


	18. Chapter 18

You hadn’t questioned Azula how she knew where Ursa and Zuko were, but now you’re starting to worry.

Had she really known where they were, or was she searching for them around the Fire Nation? No, that wasn’t like Azula at all.

Then how did she know where they were?  
______________________________________________________________________________

Azula ran out of the palace, her eyes narrowed angrily.

 _”If anyone thinks they can take away my brother and mother, they’re wrong. And they’ll pay,”_ she vowed.

A Dai Li agent, Toph, was waiting for her. They didn’t exchange words, just took off.

Azula had managed to make “friends” with her without anyone noticing. Their personalities were pretty much the same, and so they had a good dynamic.

Toph had realized that what they were doing was wrong, and so she’d offered to help Azula.

The girl was also-suddenly, the Toph stopped, shaking Azula out of her thoughts.

Before Azula could say anything, she held up a hand, warningly. She opened up a hole in the ground and gestured for her to go in.

Azula scrunched her nose but obeyed. Toph followed and closed up the hole. After some silence, they heard loud footsteps above them.

Azula and Toph stayed silent until the sounds faded away.

“Those were the Dai Li agents,” Toph whispered. “I think they noticed that I was gone.”

“Let’s hurry then,” Azula replied.

Toph clamped an earth box around them and zoomed towards Ursa and Zuko-hopefully. They popped back up into the surface.

Toph took off, Azula at her heels.

Azula had to admire how she could maneuver around so gracefully even though she was blind.

Oh yes, Toph was blind.

That didn’t seem to stop her, though.

They neared a small house, and Toph gestured at her to stay.

Azula flattened herself against the wall of the house, slightly peeking through the window.

Toph entered the house. Inside, Long Feng and some Dai Li agents were talking quietly. Chained to the wall was Ursa and Zuzu. Azula’s fists tightened in anger.

Long Feng looked up, surprised. “Toph? What are you doing here?”

“Long Feng. I need to speak with you privately.”

Long Feng’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I believe I’ve found a new way to use metalbending. But…”

Long Feng raised an eyebrow. Toph made her way to him and whispered in his ear. Long Feng smirked and nodded.

“Ah, fine. I’ll come back.”

Azula inched towards the door, her hands twitching, wanting to burst into flames right then and there. But she waited until he came out of the door.

“Toph,” he chuckled. “I never considered that you wouldn’t like to share the glory with your agents.”

“I want to be the only one who knows how to use this,” Toph replied, her tone flat. “It killed me when you decided to make me teach metalbending to everyone.”

“I’m sorry about that. But thanks to you, we now can overcome the Fire Nation-”

Azula conjured a fire knife and pointed it at his neck. “Don’t. Move. Or. Make. A. Sound,” she hissed.

Long Feng froze.

Azula dug the knife a little deeper. “Tell your men to let my brother and mother go. Right now. Or I _will_ kill you.” She walked him to the house, her fire knife never going farther than a centimeter away from his neck.

The Dai Li agents jumped up when they saw them, but as Azula started drawing blood, they froze.

“Let-let them go,” Long Feng snarled.

Azula smiled grimly. “You heard him.”

Grudgingly, they broke the chains holding Ursa and Zuko.

Azula waved her free hand, telling them to get out. She waited until Toph created a hole for them to jump into, then shoved Long Feng to his men. They barely caught him.

Toph stomped her foot on the ground, and all of them were encased in earth. Only their heads remained visible.

Azula glared at them. “Remember this the next time you try to defy the Fire Lord.”

Then Toph and Azula jumped into the hole.

“Whoo. That was exciting,” Toph commented.


	19. Chapter 19

You pace around the room, worry increasing. It’s been over 10 minutes. What-if scenarios flash through your head.

_What if...Azula got caught? Or...killed?_

You can’t keep it anymore and head towards the exit. Just when you reach it, the door bursts open and Azula runs in, a Dai Li agent at her heels. Your eyes narrow and you take a defensive stance, but the agent waves her hand, and you stop, confused.

“She helped me bust out Zuzu and Mother,” Azula explains.

“I see. But where are they?” you ask.

Azula points, and you turn around to see them hesitating at the entrance. You march up and hug them fiercely.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” you whisper.

Ursa hugs you back, and so does Zuko. You back off to take them in. Your heart aches to see Ursa so...aged. Tired. But...

“Dang, Zuzu’s all grown up!” you laugh. “Pretty handsome, too, if you ask me.”

Zuko laughs with you. “Thanks, sis.”

“Now I have to be protective over both of you, huh?”

Zuko turns to face Azula. Azula fidgets nervously. “Zuzu-” she tried to say, but Zuko grabs her hand and tugs her into a hug.

“Thanks for saving me, sis,” he whispers.

Azula smiles. “Anytime.”

You glance at Ursa, and you give each other a secret thumbs up.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Why do you think she did that?” Katara asked, frustrated.

Sokka shrugged. “Maybe...she really is bad.”

“No.”

Sokka and Katara looked up, surprised, at Hakoda.

“She definitely looked like she didn’t want to do it,” Hakoda said. “I think someone’s controlling her.”

“She did go after someone, and when she came back, she seemed...shaken,” Sokka agreed.

“So...what do we do?” Katara sighed. “If we try to help, will that put them in danger? Who’s threatening them?”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch?” Aang asked. “You think someone’s trying to threaten them?”

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Sokka snorted.

Katara glared at him. “It’s perfectly reasonable to not know, Sokka.”

“Yeah, yeah, defend your boyfriend.”

Aang and Katara blinked. Aang looked down, while Katara was stunned into silence. Sokka smirked.

“Anyways…” he drawled.

“Shut up, Sokka.”

“You’re not denying it!”

“Shut up.”

“...Are you serious? You’re dating?”

“You’re dating Azula!”

“Well...you’re still not denying it!”

“Neither are you!”

“Children,” Hakoda sighed.

“Oh, yeah,” Katara said, suddenly getting serious. “I say we wait until it seems like we have no choice but to help them. Like, they’re about to die or the war starts in earnest.”

“Alright,” Hakoda said. “I hope we can survive this.”

“I hope so too,” Sokka muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zuzu + no scar = hotness.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Some violence here. I'm wondering if I should just add the "graphic depictions of violence" warning tag on...

“What now?” Azula asks.

You sigh. “I’m going to have to cancel the war, again...this is so annoying. Not to mention embarrassing. I mean, author, what are you doing?”

(I don’t even know.)

“Well, at least everything’s fine now…” Azula says.

“Don’t say that! You’re going to make the author put us through something bad again!” you hiss.

“Uh…well, she’s probably going to make it easily solved again. But then put us through another problem, and it’ll be a freaking cycle,” Azula sighs.

“Anyways, so yes, I cancel the war once again, alright, Bahn?”

The Fire Sage bows. “Yes, Fire Lord.”

“I wonder what’s gonna happen now,” you mutter.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Long Feng managed to break Toph’s earth bond, growling in anger. He freed his agents.

They dusted themselves off, and one of them asked, “What are we doing now?”

“Now,” Long Feng snarled, “we get down to business. No more playing.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

“We should visit her,” Katara decided. “I can’t hold it anymore.”

“...”

“Sokka, why are you trying not to laugh?”

“This is...kind of ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“Well, yes. It’s not something to laugh about, though.”

“Well…”

“Come on, let’s go.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Sokka, Katara, Hakoda, and Avatar Aang have come to visit you,” the Fire Sage said.

You smile sheepishly. “Ah...okay, let them in.”

“Y/N!” Katara bursts in with everyone else. “Explain everything right now!”

So you do. Ursa and Zuko enter the room as you’re talking. 

When you finish, Katara hugs you again. “I’m sorry that happened.”

You shrug. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“This is your mother and brother?”

“Yeah. Ursa and Zuko.”

“Nice to meet you.” Katara smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Ursa says warmly.

Sokka sidles up and shakes her hand vigorously. “Hello, I’m Sokka. You’re Azula’s mother, right?”

“I said that, yes,” you sigh, seeing where he’s going.

“Yes, I am.” Ursa raises an eyebrow.

“And...just saying, but...are you as protective as Y/N is?”

“Hmm. Probably so, yes.”

“Oh.” Sokka deflates.

“But...I’ll see how you are,” Ursa winks. “I know Azula needs many people to love her, so…”

“I do love her, ma’am.” Sokka smiles.

“Whatever,” you grumble.

Azula blinks. “Anyways…did you all come here just for an explanation?”

“We wanted an explanation, and we also wanted to visit you,” Aang says. “To see how you were doing.”

“Thanks, Aang. By the way, Ursa, Zuko...if you don’t mind me asking...how did you get captured in the first place?” you ask.

Zuko’s face darkens. “We were coming back here when they attacked us. I tried to use my firebending, but they put up metal. My fire had no effect. Then they separated us and they...they put me in a freezer. I couldn’t firebend at all.”

You growl. “I really should have just killed Long Feng back then.”

Katara and Aang glance at each other.

“But can you firebend now, Zuzu?” Azula asks.

Zuko tries a firebending stance and does a fire punch. Thankfully, fire comes out. He breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“Hm. Anyways, are you staying here for long?” you ask.

“Well, that depends on what you want,” Hakoda says.

You look at him. “Chief Hakoda…”

“Address me as Hakoda.” Hakoda smiles.

You smile back, then frown. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. The past is in the past.”

“Thank you. Please stay for a while, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. We would love to.”

“Alright!” Sokka whoops.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Azula walks down the hallway, deep in thought.

Had Sokka really meant that? Did he… _love_ her? Was he just trying to save himself?

Did she love him?

She hears a rustling sound above her. Azula looks up to see a Dai Li agent staring back at her.

“Wha-!” A thin strip of metal clamps around her mouth.

Azula screams, although it’s muffled, as the iron heats up and starts burning her mouth.

 _What’s happening?_ Azula thinks wildly. _How did he get here? How is he increasing the temperature of the iron?_

Azula tries to shoot fire at the Dai Li agent, but metal clicks around her arms and legs, picking her up and holding her in place.

“Consider this as payback,” the Dai Li agent says.

Azula’s eyes widen in pain and she screams again as the metal heats up, burning through her sleeves and pants and skin.

The Dai Li agent holds up a large, sharp piece of metal and throws it at her.

“STOP!” A voice screams, before a strong blast of fire with a boomerang-a boomerang?-knocks the agent and metal piece to the ground.

The iron strips loosens, dropping Azula to the floor as well. Before Azula slowly loses consciousness, she sees Zuko and Sokka running towards her.

Then everything goes black.


	21. Chapter 21

You stay stock-still. “What...happened?” you ask, deceptively calm.

“Uh...Azula-”

“Fire Sage Bahn, did you already declare that the war was over?”

“No, Fire Lord. Not yet.”

“Good. Say that we’re going to war against the Dai Li. We should, after all, give them a warning, and show them that we’re better than them. But that Dai Li agent who hurt my sister...execute him.”

“Yes, Fire Lord.” The Fire Sage bows and heads out.

“Uh…” Aang grimaces.

You glare at him. “What?”

“N-nevermind…”

“How many Dai Li agents are there?” you ask the Dai Li agent, who’d introduced herself as Toph.

“Probably about a hundred,” she responded. “Possibly more.”

“Tell me about the weapons you have.”

“They,” Toph corrected.

“Whatever.”

“They have tanks, which are huge metal boxes that fire big metal balls. Like, as big as a head. They’re called bullets, by the way. Then they have guns, which fire smaller bullets, but still do a lot of damage and can kill easily. Both fire bullets extremely quickly, so even firebending might not be able to stop it.”

“What about lightning?” you smirk. “Never bring a bullet to a lightning fight.”

Toph scratches her head. “Lightning...will probably stop it, yeah.”

“Is that all they have?”

“Basically.”

“Hm. Then we should teach everyone lightning bending right away.”  
___________________________________________________________________________

You walk to where Azula is resting.

There’s still anger churning inside you, but you push it down and enter the room with a smile. Azula is awake, with Sokka hovering over her and Katara healing her.

“Lala. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks to Zuzu and Sokka and Katara.” Azula smiles.

“Yes...I suppose I owe Sokka, huh?” you muse.

Azula laughs slightly. “You do.”

Sokka manages a smile, but you can see that he’s worried.

_Hm._

“I’ll be fine, guys,” Azula assures. “Katara’s healing me.”

A bead of sweat travels down Katara’s forehead. But she doesn’t break her concentration.

“Thank you, Katara,” you say softly.

“It’s nothing,” Katara replies, smiling.

“It’s really not, but thanks again.”

“What are you going to do?” Azula asks, not quite looking at you.

“I’m going to teach a lesson to anyone who hurts my baby sister,” you growl, feeling rage bubble up again.

“Baby sister?” Azula mutters. “You’re not that older than me, Y/N.”

“Younger sister, then.”

“Hm.”

“Don’t worry about me, Lala,” you say. “I’ll be fine.”

“...I know.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter, sorry...

“Fire Lord Y/N, all the firebenders in the kingdom are here,” General Kai proclaims.

You smile. “Welcome, all of you. There’s no need to be nervous. You’re not in trouble. I just wanted to teach all of you lightning bending.”

There are whispers, but you hold up a hand and continue.

“I know lightning bending has only been taught to royals, but it’s time that you know how to as well, since we’re going up against an enemy whom we don’t know much about. If you feel uncomfortable, you may leave.” You wait, but no one leaves. “Perfect. Let me give you some reminders.”

You walk around the room, making eye contact with every single person. “First. Know that even if you fail, you will not, in any way, be punished. Second, this is just the first day, so don’t be disappointed if you can’t summon lightning right now. Third, practice makes perfect. Understood?”

Upon receiving nods, you immediately start the lesson. “Alright. So first, lightning bending can only work if you don’t feel anything. No emotions. We have yet to figure out another way. If someone makes a breakthrough, we’d love to hear it.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

After three days, surprisingly, most of them have gotten lightning bending.

On the fourth day, you set up strong iron in front of them and order them to break it.

Most of them succeed.

On the fifth day, you invite Toph and have them fight her. Few of them manage to beat her. Very few.

On the sixth, Toph is here once again, and the number who beats her increases.

“You’re ready,” you tell them proudly. “Show the Dai Li who’s boss, you hear?”

Cheers answer you.


End file.
